Ninety-four-year-old Josephine Wright, who caught the attention of social media for her determined fight to protect her family property, has passed away.
As AFROTECH previously told you, Wright, a great-great-grandmother, had been fighting for the possession of her 1.8-acre parcel of land on Hilton Head Island, SC. She was sued by Bailey Point Investment Group for encroachment. The developer was looking to build 147 homes on its property next door and offered Wright $30,000 for her property, according to a lawsuit.
Wright had presumed ownership of the land in 2012 after her husband passed away. It had been in his family since the Civil War.
Her story had garnered the attention of many, which helped Wright raise over $350,000 through GoFundMe to support legal fees. Some supporters of Wright also included notable names such as Snoop Dogg, Kyrie Irving, and even Tyler Perry, who had built a new home for Wright on her property after a tree had fallen onto the home, creating two holes.
Perry shared his condolences for Wright’s passing on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
“I am so heartbroken to hear about the passing of this warrior. Ms. Josephine Wright, even though we spoke by phone, I was so looking forward to meeting you in person next month to hand you the keys to your new house, but God had other plans,” Perry explained in a post shared on Instagram. “My prayer is that you rest in peace knowing that I will honor the commitment that I made to you. I know you will be watching over us all as I hand those same keys to your family.”
He added, “So your 4 children, 40 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren will still be able to gather at YOUR house on YOUR land and tell the world what kind of fighter that you were. You have run your race and fought an incredible fight! Journey well my dear lady. You have inspired me.”
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Wright’s family has also shared the condolences and publicly revealed they will be creating a charitable foundation in her honor.
“As we navigate through the profound sadness of this loss, we find solace in knowing that Ms. Wright’s spirit lives on through the Josephine Wright Foundation,” the family said, according to WSB-TV2 in Atlanta, GA. “Her legacy as a pillar of strength, wisdom, and commitment to justice will forever remain etched in our hearts.”
A homegoing service for Wright will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, at Hilton Head Island’s Mt. Calvary Baptist Church.
“There will be more information about Mrs. Wright’s memorial service date and time to come,” the family told WSB-TV2.
